Travel Christmas Tree Inspiration: Travel Ornaments & DIY Guide

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Guys, if there’s one thing I love more than travelling, it’s Christmas.

I must have been an elf in my former life, or at least one of those moody reindeer from Rudolph’s song… because once the holidays hit, my body is 90% candy cane.

So it probably won’t surprise you that I enjoy going all-out when it comes to dressing up my tree. Last year, it was Star Wars (see a pic here), and a few years back, it was superheroes (tutorial here).

This year… the jury’s still out. But in honour of it being my best-travelled year yet, why not use my imagination and dream up the perfect travel-inspired tree? Now, when Google yielded no real results for “travel-themed Christmas tree” I was legitimately quite angry. How has nobody done this yet?! Well, *puts on Santa hat*, here’s where I step in. While I haven’t gotten myself a tree yet, that (somehow) hasn’t stopped me from planning out exactly how I would decorate it. You’d be surprised what a girl can accomplish with Photoshop wizardry, oodles of stock photos and a scary amount of determination!

Travel Christmas Tree Ideas

1. Travel-themed baubles – the perfect travel ornaments

It’s not a travel Christmas tree without pretty baubles, and I’ve found a few that will genuinely melt your wanderlusty heart. Let’s start with these unreal handmade globe travel ornaments by HolidayEverydayArt. The gold leaf is just dreamy, and I love that it comes in a bunch of different colours to match whatever scheme you go with.

Up next, there’s these hand-lettered globe travel ornaments by SimplyGypsyDesigns. It’s like they combined my two weaknesses (pretty lettering + maps) and are now using them to pry my wallet open. Just like the ones above, they come in a variety of colours. (EDIT: these are sadly now sold out! But check out the shop’s stunning globes too for a worthy consolation prize)

But if it’s a DIY travel ornaments option you’re after (because sometimes it’s just more fun to make it yourself), check out this great tutorial for DIY Vintage Map Balls from Crafts n’Coffee. No doubt the perfect addition to any travel tree.

Around-the-World Map Ornament by Kathleen George

2. Atlas print paper goods

One of the easiest ways to DIY this whole thing is to first buy some really pretty map prints and then get batshit crazy creative with paper crafts. This map print wrapping paper from Amazon looks awesome, or for something a little sturdier, check out this beautiful stack of scrapbook papers. Once you have these, you can make a bunch of epic paper decorations perfect for your tree, like:

3. Personal, unique trinkets

If you’re anything like me, you probably have a drawer full of random travel trinkets that now serve no purpose at all. Well, no time like the present to give these bad boys a new lease at life. Using a bit of ribbon and hot glue, you can turn pretty much any trinket into an ornament. Now I finally have a use for those 10 Eiffel Tower keychains I got pressured into buying 😉

4. Photos and postcards

These add the ultimate personal touch to your travel Christmas tree. Sure, you could just strategically rest photos/postcards on the branches and hope they stay up, but I suggest going the extra magical mile and getting some mini-clothespins to clip them onto twinkling lights. Imagine this effect, except on a Christmas tree (and try not to cry while imagining its beauty):

I assume that none of you are still here (since you’ve all probably gone full-lumberjack and are hunting down the perfect tree as we speak), but hey, if you’re still around, let me know which of these ideas is your favourite!

I hope you enjoyed that travel Christmas tree guide! Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means I would earn a commission from purchases made through my recommendation (but come at no extra cost to you). Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

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Hi! My name is Christina Guan and I'm a clumsy Canadian who is obsessed with seeing the world. When I'm not frolicking abroad, you'll likely find me faceplanting into burrito bowls & doing important work in my Monsters Inc onesie. New to the blog and my very lame jokes? Click here to visit my Start Here page!